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SARAH PALIN: "The oil companies who have sole supported President Obama in his campaign and are supportive of him now, I don't know why the question isn't asked by the mainstream media and by others if there's any connection with the contributions made to President Obama and his administration and the support by the oil companies to the administration." (Fox News)

Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin sparked a war of words Sunday when she implied that Mr. Obama's ties to big oil are to blame for what she calls "taking so doggone long" to respond to the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responds to this allegation on CBS's "Face The Nation":

GIBBS: "Sarah Palin was involved in that election, but I don't think, apparently, was paying a whole lot of attention. I'm almost sure that the oil companies don't consider the Obama administration a huge ally. We proposed a windfall profits tax when they jacked their oil prices up to charge more for gasoline. My suggestion to Sarah Palin would be to get slightly more informed as to what's going on in and around oil drilling in this country."

The crux of the issue rests on the actual campaign contributions in question.

In a Twitter post, Palin counters:

"Mr. Gibbs, BP gave over $3.5 million to federal candidates ... with the largest amount going to Obama"

She links the post to a Politico article, which reports:

"Obama received a total of $77,051 from the oil giant and is the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years."

Fox News defends Palin's allegation.

"When it comes down to the single largest recipient of BP cash, she's absolutely right, it was Barack Obama."

An article from the Wall Street Journal says Palin failed to mention that, of the oil industry's $35.6 million in contributions, 77 percent of that money went to Republican candidates.

"In the 2008 presidential contest, Republican candidate Sen. John McCain received more than twice as much money from the oil and gas industries as Obama: McCain collected $2.4 million; Obama, $898,000."

An ABC reporter weighs in on the issue, finding irony in the accusation.

"It's given Republicans though an opportunity to turn the tables on Democrats, to depict the Obama White House as too cozy with Big Oil."

"Really striking, Dan, from the woman who of course popularized that phrase 'Drill, Baby, Drill'."

So what do you think? Is this another Palin political faux pas? Or does she raise a good point?

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WRITER: Krysta Brown

PRODUCER: Newsy Staff